IMPD chief: Officer punching teen in face not ‘reasonable’

August 31, 2019

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indianapolis Police Chief Bryan Roach says it was not “reasonable” for one of his officers to punch a teenager in the face during a confrontation outside a school captured in a video posted on social media.

The Indianapolis Star reports Roach said in a statement Saturday, “The video shows a clear image of a closed fist punch to the face, a technique which is not taught or reasonable given the facts known to us at this time.”

Roach said the officer has been suspended without pay and the incident is being investigated internally. The officer’s name hasn’t been released. He was among officers called to Shortridge High School on Thursday for a large fight. The video shows the black 17-year-old boy falling to the ground. The officer is white.